Can end embossing mechanism



July 27, 1954 F. w. DUHAN 2,684,627

CAN END EMBOSSING MECHANISM ATTORNEYS July 27, 1954 F. w. DUHAN 2,684,627

CAN END EMBOSSING MECHANISM Filed Aug. l0, 1951 '7 Sheets-.Sheet 2 INVENTOR.'

Frgedeck ATTORNEYS.

July 27, 1954 F. w. DUHAN CAN END EMBOSSING MECHANISM 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. l0, 1951 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

July-27, 1954 F. w. DUHAN 2,684,627

CAN END EMBOSSING MECHANISM Filed Aug. l0, 1951 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 wwf Mw ATTORN E YS.

July 27, 1954 F. w. DUHAN CAN END EMBOSSING MECHANISM 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 'Filed Aug. l0, 1951 IN VENTOR I .lz'aedezz'ck Wldlan, f

ATTORNEYS.

July 27, 1954 F. w. DUHAN CAN END EMBOSSING MECHANISM 7 Sheets-Shea*l 6 Filed Aug. l0, 1951 lllll u L IIIIII w m MUHIMHMMM r11. l-|m n n ,www i /M -W I.. n \...u|; M @Jima 6o .WIUIIHIHQII I l .,ll IL IW) .ww m www. I

INVENTOR July 27, 1954 F, w, DUHAN 2,684,627

CAN END EMBOSSING MECHANISM Filed Aug.l 10, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 NIV' V 3 INVENTOR.'

H2M@ @4MM ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 27, 1954 UNI STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN END EMBOSSING MECHANISM Frederick W. Duhan, Philadelphia, Pa., assigner,

by mesne assignments, to Crown Cork & lSeal Company, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of New York 3 Claims.

The'pre'sentinvention relates to a marking ma chine `for marking container or can parts which are interposed between 'cooperating' rotary marking heads.

Anlobjectof the invention'is'the provision "of a marking machine `Withcooperating 'rotary marking heads which Vare'mounted forrotation on overhanging` shafts supportedby bearing means on both' sides of the" marking heads. The provision'oftwo hearings supporting each marking head'assemloly providesrigidity to the marking mechanism without the' use of large diameter marking' heads. use of smallerdiametermarking heads, it, therefore, eliminates'the necessity of an accelerated feed-mechanism as used inthe past to carry a can partor endthrough the" marking assembly using thei-large marking heads mounted on a shaft supported by a single bearing.

Another lobject'of the invention-'is to provide each marking assembly with a separate housing member. One*Y housingmember carrying one marking head isxed with :respect to theframe of the machine, Whereas-the other housingmember and its corresponding marking head is pivotal and'yieldable. Since one of the marking heads is yieldable with respect to the other marking head, the occurrence of a jam or damage to the marking heads is eliminated should foreign material'or an imperfect can part be fed into the machine.

A lstill furtherobject'of the invention isthe provision of a marking head having easily interchangeable embossing dies or type pads. Interchangeability of the dieser' typepadsgiVes the machine more utilityand adaptability.

A furthern object of the invention is providing overhanging spacedy shafts for supporting the marking heads.- This provision allows the use ofv positive means for conveying or feeding container parts or' ends through the marking heads to a can covering or seaming machine.

These and other objects of the invention will appear-more clearly from the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1l is a plan view of the marking machine.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional-view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front-elevational View with parts shown in section. l

Figure 4 is an-'end` elevation viewed from the rightoi' Figure 1 and with parts shown in section substantially-on the line 4 4.

Figure 5 islan renlarged sectional'plan view taken Von the line 5-'5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a fragmental detailvew inthe same direction asFigu-rei-2.

Since this provision allows the 2 Figure *7 is a transverse sectional detail taken on the line 'l-'l of Figure 6.

Figure 8 y'is a further detailed sectional'v View" similar to Figure 7.

Figure 9 is an enlarged detailed `plan view""of the marking head.

Figure `10 is a vertical sectional view taken' on the line lll-iii oi Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a detailedface view'of the die plate" mounted in an element of the marking head'.

Figure 12 is an edge view of Figure 11.`

Figure 13 is a centralse'ctional view takenon" the line I3-l3 of Figure Y11.

In the preferred embodiment'of the inventionV as shown in the drawings, 'the marking machine is of the type having cooperating rotary marking heads with marking elementsinserted therein 'for part. The can ends are supplied from a suitable storage rack to a trackwayl where they are fed hy a positive drive conveyor to the marking heads;

After suitable identifying markings are placed on the can ends, `the ends are then fed to a turret which supplies them to a can closureV or seaming machine. n

Referring specifically to the drawings wherein life reference characters represent'like or simi` lar parts, the can or container parts iii are storedin a storage rack, generally designated I2, mounted on the frame 28 of the machine.Y Beneath'- the can end storage rack |2`is a guideway I4 consisting of two parallel tracks whichv support the canl closures by their peripheral Aedges as they are` conveyed through the machine. The tracks-or guidewayY M, which is attached 'to the upper section of the frame 28, extends from 'beneaththe rack l2 longitudinally through the machine between the marking heads I6 and to the -turret I8- f5 and can seaming machine, generally designat- The positive means for conveying the can ends l0 along the guideway or tracks I and through the marking heads I6 consists oan endless conveyor assembly 22 having a chain drive 24- and a 7 plurality of conveyor arms 26. Theconveyor assembly 22 is mounted on the frame 23 of the ma chine adjacent to the tracks or guidevvay i4.

Spring means, generally designated SiiQare pro# vided for adjusting the tension of the chaindrive 24 by longitudinally moving the idler sprocket Ii the container 3 wheel 23. Each of the conveying arms 2t of the conveyor assembly 2d extends transversely of the parallel tracks lll. The arms 2S have at their ends a lip portion 32 which extends upwardly into the plane of the parallel tracks lli, and this lip portion 32 engages the can end lil to convey it from beneath the storage racks i2 to the can seaming machine 28. As best shown in Figure 2, the conveyor arms 2d and their lip portions 32 will pass between the marking heads iii and, thus, positively convey the can end while it is being embossed. Any suitable source of power may be used to drive the conveyor assembly 22 by means of the sprocket wheel 25. however, it is noted at this point that the conveyor 22 and the marking heads itV must be driven in a timed relationship with each other, in order that the identifying markings may be properly located on the can ends It. This is accomplished by mounting the sprocket wheel 25 for rotation on the end of the shaft iid which also drives one of the marking heads IS keyed thereto. A more detailed description of the drive of the shaft GS will follow in the specification.

Referring now to Figure 2, the marking heads I8 are mounted for rotation in separate housing members 3Q and 36. A lower housing member Se is fixed integral with the frame t or the machine, while the upper housing member 36 is pivoted to the lower housing member 36 by means of a pair of boss hinges 38 located on the lower housing and the pivot pin il (Figs. 3, 5 and 7). A more detailed description of the means of supporting the marking heads within each housing will follow in the specification. Since there is always a possibility of debris, foreign matter, imperfect can ends, or two can ends stuck together being fed to the marking heads it and causing a jam or damage to the marking elements 62, it is necessary and important to provide a pivotal housing 36 having yielding means so as to protect the smooth operation of the machine should this condition occur. As best shown in Figures 6 and '7, the yielding means for the pivotal housing 33 consist of a bolt or stud ed mounted in a iiange 46 located on the lower housing 3d. The bolt or stud d@ extends through a transverse cut-out 8 of the iiange 50 oi the upper housing' 3%. Mounted on the bolt or stud lid between the flange 5B of upper housing St and the adjustment nuts 5d of the bolt is a spring t2 which urges the upper housing 36 and its corresponding marking head H3 into operative engagement with the lower` housing 34 and its corresponding marking head l. The adjustment nuts 'e165 provide easy adjustment of the tension of the spring E2. rI'hus, by constructing the upper housing so that it is yieldably pivotal with the lower housingI a jam may be prevented should foreign matter or an irregular can end be fed between the marking heads.

In addition to the provision of yieldable means for preventing a jam, a positive and manually operated means is provided for releasing an actual jam should this condition arise at the marking heads. The manual means for pivoting the upper housing Se and releasing a jam at the marking heads consists of a lever 5e pivoted to the upper housing 3S and having a cam 58 at its end thereof bearing against the flange l5 of the lower housing member. An operator may thus manually release the marking heads from operative engagement with each other by merely pivoting the lever which, in turn, will pivot the upper housing Se and its marking head i5 away from the lower housing 3&3 and its marking head Supported for rotation on spaced parallel shafts Se in each housing member is a marking head I6. rEhe marking heads l5 are keyed to the rotating driving shafts 6@ .by means of keys 62. As stated prior in the specification, any suitable source of power which will drive the marking heads l5 and the conveyor 22 in timed relationship may be used. A source of power (not shown) drives a drive shaft Sii mounted in the frame 23. Located on one end of the drive shaft 64 is a beveled gear 66 which meshes with a beveled gear 68. The gear tt is mounted on the end of a shaft 1li supported in. the housing til by means of bearing '12. Also, mounted on the shaft it is a gear lll which meshes with the gear it; mounted on a shaft 1B supported by a bearing Bil in the upper housing 36. The ends of the shafts iii and 1S are hollow and are provided with a keyway in order that they may be keyed to the shafts Se and 56 respectively by the key 62. The gear box 8| housing the bevel gears @t and 58 and gears lil and 'i6 may be lubricated by means of an oil bath or the like.

The spaced parallel shafts Gil and Sil, on which are keyed the marking heads it, are supported in each housing in the same manner, and thus only the means of supporting the shaft in the upper housing will be described. A pair of bearings 82 and 35i mounted in the upper housing support the shaft et for rotation. The bearing Se is mounted in cantilevered relationship with respect to the bearing 82 and this is made possible by designing the upper housing so that it has two side walls 86 extending from the body o the housing and having a connecting end wall 88. The bearing Sli is then mounted in the end wall 38. rEhe purpose of mounting the bearings in this manner is to give rigidity to the marking heads when they are of small diameters. In the past, marking heads were made much larger in diameter to give the required rigidity to the assembly, because they were supported at one end only. By mounting the bearings 52, 8f3, 9i) and 92 so that there is one bearing or" a pair in cantilevered relationship to the other bearing of that pair also allows the shafts titi' and to be mounted in overhanging relationship. This is important in that the conveying arms 2E and the lip portion 52 must be able to pass through the marking heads I5 in order to obtain a positive means of feeding the can ends EQ.

rEhe marking heads it and it are cylindrical and each carries a marking element i2 locked therein. The marking elements "32 will be a male and female die if it is desired to emboss the container part lo or they may be type pads and a backing means if it is desired to print on the container part. Since it is desirable that the marking elements d2 be interchangeable, the marking head is made up of a plurality of interlocking cylindrical parts Se having an arcuate segment e8 cut out for the reception of the dies or type pads A, B, C and D. The locking means consists of a circumferential bead and groove on each cylindrical part Q3 and a circumferential groove on the marking element d2 which will cooperate with the bead of the adjacent cylindrical part Sii. In other words, the groove 9i of cylindrical part 95 and the groove in the marking element d2 will cooperate with each other to receive the bead S3 o an adjacent cylindrical part SS so that the marking element 2 will be interlocked with, and retained in, the arcuate segment 98 of cylindrical part 95. A pair of bolts 9i passing through apertures 99 in the cylindrical parts 96 will retain the marking head i6 as a unit.

In order to remove a marking head I6 for replacement of dies, the shaft 60, supporting said marking head, must rst be removed by means of a puller tool 6| threaded into the end of said shaft, The shafts 89 are held in place by means of a locking ring 63, and a manual pull on the shafts 69 will release them from position. Removal of the marking heads is completed by removing the cover plate 65 and removing them through the top of the housing.

The terminology used in the specification is for the purpose of description and not for limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A can marking machine comprising a frame, a housing member rigidly mounted on said frame and having parallel side walls extending transversely therefrom and connected by an end wall, a second housing member pivoted to said first housing member and also having parallel side walls extending transversely therefrom and connected by an end wall, a pair of bearings mounted in each of said housing members, one of said bearings of each pair being mounted in the end wall of each of said housing members and in cantilevered relationship with the other bearing of said pair, the other bearing of each of said pairs being mounted in each of said housing members in axial alignment with the bearings mounted in said end walls, a pair of rotatable shafts supported at each end thereof by each pair of bearings, a marking head mounted on each of said shafts between the bearings, means in said housing members providing an opening through which said marking heads project, each of said marking heads having marking elements cooperating with each other for marking a can end interposed therebetween, and means yieldably urging said second housing member and its marking head toward said first housing member and its marking head.

2. A can marking machine of the character described in claim 1 wherein manual means are provided for pivoting said second housing member with respect to said first housing member so that said marking heads are in an inoperative position, said means including a lever actuated cam pivoted to one of said housing members and engaging the other of said housing members for pivoting said housing members with respect to each other.

3. A can marking machine of the character described in claim 1 including means defining a guideway for said cam ends through the machine, driving means for feeding said can ends along said guideway and through said marking heads, said driving means also driving said marking heads in timed relationship to the feeding of the can ends.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 169,295 Rogerson Oct. 26, 1875 1,153,550 Hamilton Sept. 14, 1915 1,360,723 Comp Nov. 30, 1920 1,374,225 Peacock Apr. 12, 192'1 1,387,098 Bratt Aug. 9, 1921 1,807,558 Sedwick May 26, 1931 1,948,142 Swift Feb. 20, 1934 2,202,110 Maurer May 28, 1940 2,362,206 Kronquest Nov. 7, 1944 2,425,374 Kagley Aug. 12, '1947 2,447,015 Jacobs Aug. 17, 1948 2,466,732 Nordquist Apr. 12, 1949 2,497,386 Zarobsky Feb. 14, 1950 

